Rulership: In classical astrology, the Lights, the Sun and the Moon, ruled the signs of Leo and Cancer respectively, and the –then known- five planets ruled two signs each. The classical system of rulerships was based on the idea that planets have more strength in some signs and less in others. A planet in the sign it ruled was said to be “at home” and it was believed to be no different than any individual at home: he would feel stronger and safer and have the permission to do pretty much whatever he wanted to do. A planet in rulership is strong, it does not necessarily operate in a “good” or “bad” way, but in any case it tends to “rule the roost” (S. Tompkins)* and dominate over other energies.As Kevin Burk** says, planets in rulership are able to express their true nature, their pure energy (I like to use the term “raw” energy).
When outer planets were discovered, modern astrologers wanted to incorporate them in the “rulership system”, actually give them a sign to rule too, associate them with a sign. This introduced the idea of “affinity”; a planet and the sign it rules have things in common, they share similar characteristics. Depending on the astrologer, outer planets can be used as only rulers or co-rulers (of Aquarius, Pisces and Scorpio) or not used as rulers at all.
Detriment: A planet is said to be in detriment when it is placed in the sign opposite to the sign it rules. A planet in detriment is considered “debilitated” but the question is to which extent it is really “weakened”. If a planet in rulership is in the position that better allows it to express its true, essential nature, the problem with the opposite placement is that the planet cannot express itself. So, a planet in detriment is not exactly weak nor does operate necessarily in a “bad” way. It just can’t operate in its best interest and this is what might bring it in a difficult position, what can feel like a disadvantage. As already mentioned, it always helps to think of a planet in detriment as the exact opposite of a planet in rulership. A planet in rulership feels at home and thus comfortable enough to do its own thing. A planet in detriment is in a somewhat unfamiliar environment and thus “afraid” and “worried” when it comes to expressing its energy.
Exaltation: Every planet has a sign in which it is said to be “exalted”. The sign of its exaltation is a “good” placement for any planet, it is strong there. But, if a planet in rulership is like an individual at his own place, a planet in exaltation is like an “honored guest” (W. Lilly). Thus, a planet in exaltation does not operate in such a “selfish” way (having its own agenda as K. Burk says) as a planet in rulership would, but it is still in an environment where it feels comfortable (the host offers the best to an honored guest) and is able to express the best of itself. The sign of its exaltation is thus probably the best placement a planet could be in. It is strong, it is in an environment that suits him and where it can be comfortable, it is able to express itself, but at the same time it remains a guest, so “forced” in a way to behave, to bring out not simply its true self, that could be “bad” and selfish and tending to dominate everything, but its best self. A planet in exaltation can express its “higher nature”.
Fall: A planet is said to be “in fall” when placed in the sign opposite to the sign in which it is exalted. Planets in fall are also considered debilitated (as planets in detriment). They are disadvantaged because they too are found in an unfamiliar environment; Kevin Burk compares them to somebody that has landed to a foreign place, not knowing the language or the customs. And as anybody in an alien, uncomfortable territory and not being able to communicate, planets in fall cannot express themselves easily. Sue Tompkins uses the “expatriate” example too. But she adds that as any individual in such a situation would do, planets in fall tend to focus too much on survival and thus to not care much about others and act quite “selfishly” (as a result of their feeling of insecurity). This could make sense if again we thought of planets in fall as the opposite of planets in exaltation that are comfortable enough to be able to express their “higher nature”.
In Prince William’s chart there are three planets in rulership. As any planet in rulership, these too will tend to express themselves very powerfully and dominate over other energies in the chart.
William’s Venus in Taurus is in his 5th house (Placidus). This placement is indicative of someone who values (Venus) loyalty and stability (Taurus) in his affairs (and this is not only because Venus generally has to do with relationships but also because here she is placed in the 5thhouse implying that the area where she will express her energy is romance).
From what I can tell, this Venus is very prominent in William’s life. He had a long-term relationship with Kate whom he ended up marrying. It lasted (as an affair and not marriage, which would take us to the 7th house – ok, I know this is a matter of debate, and then it’s Venus anyways) from 2003 to 2011, i.e. almost seven years, quite a long time especially taking into consideration that the couple was –at the time of the wedding- in its late 20s. Overall the relationship seemed to incorporate many Taurean traits, to be grounded, unpretentious, developing steadily through the years - from the dorm to engagement, to walking down the aisle, to having a baby. But this is obviously what William, who declared “not a party animal” during his college years, wants, what dominates his personality. He could well fool around, at least for some time, like a Prince Charming he is, but this Venus in Taurus seems to make him hold on tight. To me it is also interesting taking a look at the aspects this Venus forms, which are actually only two. An almost exact quincunx with Neptune that could “disturb” this very fixed and grounded Venus making her want to escape, to constantly run after the ideal and never feel fulfilled. And an out-of-sign (and thus not an aspect for some) but applying opposition with Uranus that could possibly lead to sudden and unexpected changes in relationships or a marked need for freedom and autonomy as far as they are concerned. But, as it seems at least, Venus here dominates over the other energies she touches. They want to “disturb” her but, as a planet in rulership, she gets to do her own thing, manages to show more strength and remain loyal, stable and persistent enough.
Another “planet” in rulership in William’s chart is his Moon in Cancer. According to Kevin Burk this is a Moon that tends to express herself so powerfully that she might have a hard time “accepting” she is not the only actor in the play! This is an intensely emotional Moon and probably the prince has a sensitive emotional and feeling nature that is very prominent. It is hard to know how sensitive one is, to which extent he tends to overreact, how dependable he is on other people’s support, how much he needs to experience and share emotions with others, especially when talking about a public figure. But apart from one’s needs, emotions and innate behavior, the Moon in his/her chart can also describe his/her experience of his/her mother. As of course she can describe any important woman in one’s life (as long as he turns there for support and nurturing!).
The same could apply to Venus; let’s not forget that for classical astrologers, Venus is used as the mother indicator in diurnal charts (and the one of William is a diurnal chart since the Sun is above the horizon), and anyways, in a man’s chart she is an indicator of the type of woman he is attracted to. In any case, what is interesting in William’s chart, is that both his “female indicators” are so strong, which is something showing that women play a major role in his life. And most probably this is the truth for William. Searching the web for as much information as possible about him, I would find articles and biographies focusing more on his relationship with Kate and of course on late Princess Diana, than on anything about his very own personality.
Probably, women in William’s life do not just play an important role, but are actually experienced as more powerful. A Moon in Cancer almost always shows a very symbiotic tie between mother and child, a relationship that is more powerful than usual. If we compare that very strong Moon in rulership, to William’s peregrine Sun, the father indicator in his chart, it is not difficult to understand that it was his mother that influenced him the most. His Moon-Sun conjunction (a separating one and thus less powerful than other aspects his Moon forms) might be an indicator that the relationship between his parents, despite their problems, was not experienced very “negatively”. Apparently, as the Lights are in the same sign, they had things in common. But the condition of the Lights (one in rulership, the other peregrine) shows that dad had always been on mum’s shadow. And he was indeed. Diana was very popular, “The People’s Princess”. Charles on the other hand was never that likeable. Let’s not forget that apart from father/mother indicators, the Sun and Moon serve as general indicators of the masculine and feminine principal. William grew up seeing his grandmother being a Queen, leading an entire nation, leaving his grandfather again in the shadow. Will William “reproduce” this family pattern? Will Kate be the strong woman, behind the powerful man (especially if he eventually becomes the King)? His Moon in the 7th might be indicative of the fact that his mother had some influence on his selection of partner too (although not with him anymore).
Another thing that is left to be seen is how William will do as a family man. The two “great powers” in his chart, Venus and Moon, are placed –as mentioned already- in the 5th and 7th house respectively, indicating on one hand, that he loves (Venus) children (5th) and he values family, and on the other, that getting married (7th) and having a home and a family is something he really needed and deeply wanted (Moon) and that it would be really important to him. In the signs they are, and being that powerful, his Venus and Moon give me the impression that will play out very strongly also as far as the family he is building now is concerned. I feel that he will be able to support all this, and be a nurturing and loyal father and husband. And maybe this will come out as one of his very prominent characteristics.
Another interesting thing about William’s chart might be the fact that the other “male indicator”, Mars, “the male force”, is in Libra, in the sign of his detriment. This could add to the idea that man figures in his life, and obviously himself too, are not so “worried” about (I guess some would say not able to) doing their own thing and being in control, but put relationships, harmony and balance (Libra) above all and just tactfully let their women have the power (strong female indicators - like grandma).
William’s case makes me think of something I read in Sue Tompkins’ “Contemporary Astrologer’s Handbook”.That there is nothing “good” or “bad” about a planet in detriment. His Mars in Libra, although poorly placed, is actually “good” for him, because this way he is at least somewhat “in sync” with the other, strong planets in his chart. With Mars in Libra he puts a lot of energy intorelationships, relationships are what spurs him into action. Which is something that doesn’t seem to be in conflict with him needing a home and a family and loving children as we mentioned above. A Mars in Aries for example would direct all his energy towards doing his very own thing and satisfying his very own desires, and this could bring some kind of battle. What I am thinking here is that “good” placements might be “good” for the planets’ interests but not for the individual. Maybe a number of very powerful planets in a chart would be indicative of various very strong energies each one operating in a very autonomous way leading to a situation where the individual would not know where to stand and probably experiencing constant inside battles, feeling that one energy pushes him towards one thing and the other towards something really different.
This is just a thought because on another hand, William’ Mars is in square aspect with his Moon. So, where is this “war”, “the obstacle” the square informs us about when the two “planets” seem to go after more or less the same thing?
Some guesses one could take regarding this square; for William, women are strong, are influential, exercise power, but this should not be confused with the contemporary idea of powerful women who have successful careers, and might be too aggressive and so on. With his Moon in Cancer, William probably feels that women should remain somewhat “traditional”, they should be there to protect, to nurture, to comfort, theyshould not lose their “femininity”. The contact with Mars brings some more “masculine” traits into the picture. He is not a very aggressive Mars this one in Libra, but he still makes them want to fight, and he makes want to fight for their relationships, probably for harmony, peace, fairness and equality in their relationships. It is difficult for anyone to get to know this, but William might had a problem (indicated by the square) with his mother (Moon) leaving her marriage (7th) and her “traditional” role (Cancer) to go after (Mars) a chance to experience a more “fair” to her relationship (Libra), in which she would not experience betrayal, and she would not feel neglected. (in a relationship with a man with different cultural and religious background – Mars in 9th).
But again, this square is formed between a planet in rulership, Moon in Cancer, and a planet in detriment, Mars in Libra, so we would expect the Moon to dominate. And indeed, William did not go into fight with his mother, there was no conflict, there was something challenging there of course, but his overall experience of his mother and family was positive, she was highly supportive, she did try to protect him, she was “momsy” enough despite being a royalty, and she influenced him deeply.
There is something else about this Mars I think of. According to Kevin Burk, planets in detriment might actually be very strong but use their strength in inappropriate ways. In William’s biographies on the web, attention is paid to the royal duties he exercises for themoment. These mostly have to do with travelling abroad and actually taking care of the Palace’s external affairs. A Mars in Libra in the 9th flavor here…But what I thought is that, for something like that to be mentioned in a biography, it seems that it has some impact, it makes people notice. So this is a Mars that despite being in detriment manages to act out strongly. And then there are these inappropriate ways. Maybe William will turn out to be too “diplomatic” for a British loyalty? Maybe he will try to promote more equal and fair relationships (Libra) with foreign countries (9th) and probably this will be in conflict with his heritage (the square with Moon in Cancer)? Maybe this will be considered inappropriate? This is also to be seen.
In William’s chart there is a third planet in rulership, Mercury in Gemini. Most probably William has a quick mind and is capable of communicating in an intelligent way. The truth is that, trying to connect the astrological findings with William’s bio, I could not find any evidence that this is a very prominent characteristic of his, as I would expect. (It is not that I doubt it, I just can’t know it!). Something that might though be connected to Mercury’s placement in Gemini and in the 5th house is the fact that William is known for having many interests which include fishing, skiing, football, riding, shooting, motorcycling, hunting, swimming, and polo. This could be a combination of Gemini’s passion for variety with the 5th house (hobbies, fun). One of course would ask where does Mercury come into this picture. Mercury in the 5th is associated with sports / games / hobbies that need a good level of eye / hand coordination (like shooting). Mercury’s association with vehicles (motorcycling) is also known. Mercury in the 5th could also show one with a talent in writing, and recently William published an article having to do with the Air Force (his Mars trining Mercury?). Managing to communicate his ideas cleverly could possibly show how strong his Mercury is.
Something that also caught my eye while reading William’s biography on biography.com, was the following: William gives the impression of being a well-mannered, responsible and mature young man who shows a strong sense of duty and loyalty to the royal family, fully aware of the role he is to play in the future as the King of England.
To me there is something very “Saturnian” about this paragraph and this is probably what made me notice it.Responsibility, maturity, sense of duty, are all senses clearly related to Saturn, and, more than that, to Saturn expressing himself skillfully. Even awareness of roles (involves maturity, sense of authority, and duty) andloyalty to the royal family (respect for tradition, and for the status quo maybe) have a strong Saturnian flavor. I get the impression that here we have a planet in exaltation (William’s Saturn in Libra) that really express the best of himself and gifts the individual with positive traits. And this Saturnian paragraph is the general impression people have about who William really is. So this Saturn in exaltation is what actually defines him and we would thus say that he acts out very powerfully. An interesting thing is that all major aspects he forms are quite wide (over 6 degrees orb) so there are no other energies mixing up very strongly with his own. But in his conjunction with Mars, Saturn would tend to dominate, and thus probably “hold back” Mars’ possible impulsiveness and make him act in a more mature way. (so no fear that Mars in detriment would act in inappropriate ways?)
*The Contemporary Astrologer’s Handbook by Sue Tompkins (2007)
**Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart by Kevin Burk (2011)
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